The present invention relates to a device and method for packaging pharmaceutical product samples together with patient drug and disease state information, literature and other forms of media, and related consumer products, consumer package goods, devices, or services.
Prescription drug samples are widely employed by pharmaceutical firms, with the goal of increasing market share. Prescription drug samples have even recently been provided by pharmacy benefit managers and generic manufacturers.
However, the role of free drug samples is currently not to promote health literacy. Prescription drug samples are typically distributed to patients by physicians in their offices pursuant to a patient visit, often with little dialogue between the patient and physician regarding the medication. Currently, prescription samples or patient starter kits are neither informative for patients nor do they facilitate patient learning and adherence. In fact, most often prescription drug samples do not contain a patient package insert or patient drug information sheet. Additionally, the prescription drug sample usually results in patients bypassing the pharmacy and missing an opportunity to be counseled by a pharmacist regarding their medication.
Low adherence with prescribed treatments is ubiquitous and undermines treatment benefits. Studies have shown a variety of adherence interventions may be effective including oral and written material, programmed learning, involving patients more in their care through monitoring, reinforcement and rewards. Patient education helps to ensure that the patient properly understands instructions on how to take the pharmaceutical such that the medication works optimally. Innovative approaches for patients to follow prescriptions for medications and become educated on their disease states are needed.
Another limitation of the current distribution of prescription drug samples is that the sample itself often becomes separated from any labeling or patient education literature, e.g. package insert or brochure, that is provided by the physician. The literature is frequently lost or destroyed before the sample of the prescription drug is taken. Therefore, there is a need for an improved container for prescription drug samples and patient education literature to enhance compliance and long term therapy persistence.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a patient starter kit that combines a prescription drug sample and patient/disease state resources which is designed to deliver pharmaceutical product instructions and information as well as disease state information to patients.
This is accomplished through a new packaging technique for a patient starter kit that makes it possible to provide pharmaceutical drug samples in the same container as other patient drug information, disease state material and consumer product samples or coupons.